Global Children's Initiative

I especially found interesting the section on ACEs or Adverse Childhood Experiences. Speaking from current experience, my husband and I are currently separated and are going through a tumultuous divorce. My daughter has been witness to our arguments for her entire 7 years of life. She saw violence and heard things that no one should ever hear, especially not a young child. For me, I worked hard to keep her away from anything that I knew could harm her, but there are some circumstances that are out of my control. She saw physical abuse done to her mother, she heard emotional and mental abuse happening all around her. She heard her father call her mother horrible names and somehow, she still wakes up with a smile on her face each day. She is, however, very angry. She has big feelings that she cannot explain. I realize now that this environment has caused her toxic stress that we will need to work through together with her. She lashes out and yells and has a short fuse. Reading about this important topic really helped me with how I can help her.

Another section I really enjoyed reading about is Early Childhood Mental Health. As an early childhood professional, I find it super helpful when parents are with us in helping their child. We are never quick to diagnose a child, but we do take anecdotal notes to present to the parents when we have a concern. Even little behavior issues are documented and saved for a later time if needed. 

The last section that I really enjoyed reading about was in the resilience section. This quote really stuck out to me and gives me hope that my own children have me as their stability. "The single most common factor for children who develop resilience is at least one stable and committed relationship with a supportive parent, caregiver, or other adult." (2020) This quote alone helps me realize that no matter what is going on in a child's family or household, as a teacher, I can make a difference in their life as a stable adult.

According to the Global Fund for Children website, "Young people have the right to protect their bodies, raise their voices, and define their futures. But millions are denied these rights every day. We work to ensure that all children – regardless of their gender or their sexual identity – can be safe, learn, lead, and thrive." (2020) Equity is encouraged for young girls all around the world. Without encouragement for some of these girls, they would not have proper health care and would not learn the correct way to take care of themselves. 

 

References

Gender Equity. Global Fund for Children. (2020, July 14). https://globalfundforchildren.org/our-partners/focus-areas/gender-equity/.

Resilience. Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. (2020, August 17). https://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/key-concepts/resilience/.